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What does Donald Trump have against Maine lobster?

Good morning from Augusta, where there are very few Democrats because many of them are headed south to the Democratic State Convention in Portland.

The convention schedule runs through tomorrow, though most of it is pretty routine. Maine’s delegates to the Democratic National Convention in July in Philadelphia will be chosen, which is the most important thing, though there will also be a move to change how super delegates cast their votes in the future, beginning in 2020.

Among the speakers at the convention Saturday on behalf of presidential candidate Bernie Sanders will be Jon Fishman, drummer for the jam band Phish, of which I have long been a fan. That calls for a soundtrack. — Christopher Cousins

Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, who is on a trade mission to Cuba, met Thursday with Josefina Vidal Ferreiro, who is the lead negotiator for the Cuban government in negotiations with the United States.

“There is growing bipartisan support in Congress for ending the Cuban embargo,” said Pingree in a written statement following the meeting. “It’s only a matter of time before relations between the two countries are normalized, and the economic benefit that will come from that will be significant.”

Pingree’s trip centers on discussions about organic farming, which she has long practiced at home and emphasized as a member of Congress.

“The Cubans have a commitment to organic agriculture and the companies that are with me collectively sell billions of dollars of organic products every year,” she said. “There are definitely some opportunities for both sides.” — Christopher Cousins

About Christopher Cousins

Christopher Cousins has worked as a journalist in Maine for more than 15 years and covered state government for numerous media organizations before joining the Bangor Daily News in 2009.
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